1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a manufacturing apparatus for a tape core wire that is made by forming a plurality of single core wires into a tape. The present invention also relates to a tape core wire wiring apparatus and wiring method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a tape core wire is known that is formed by arranging a plurality of single core wires (such as optical fiber core wires or the like) in a row and then coating them to form a single body. In a manufacturing apparatus that manufactures such core wires, firstly, each single core wire is continuously unwound from a drum and transported so as to be arranged in a row with the other wires. In addition, a coating is applied to the entire circumference (i.e., to both surfaces and both sides) thereof. Accordingly, an elongated tape core wire can be manufactured (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. H5-119243 and H6-123826).
In contrast, tape core wires have also been created in which the coating is applied to only one surface of the respective single core wires that have been arranged in a row. In contrast to a tape core wire having the above-described two surface coating, a tape formed using this method is excellent in flexibility and tear workability, and is particularly favorable for use in tape core wires that use optical fiber core wires in which the mechanical characteristic requirements in particular are very strict. In an apparatus that manufactures this type of single surface coating tape core wire, the coating is not applied to each single core wire as it is being transported, but instead the respective single core wires are arranged in a row and are temporarily fixed in a coating jig and the coating is then applied by relatively moving a nozzle that applies the coating material to the respective single core wires (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2004-163634). This method is favorable as it can be used for the manufacturing of short tape core wires and can also be used to easily coat single core wires that extend out from a certain component, and can be used for the manufacturing of small quantities but a large variety of tape core wires.
In the latter apparatus described above, when the nozzle is being moved relatively to the respective single core wires in the coating jig, sometimes mispositioning occurs in the position of the nozzle relative to each of the single core wires. This is caused by shaking of the nozzles and coating jig during this relative movement, or by smoothness imperfections that are caused by bending or the like of the coating jig, and can lead to irregularities in the thickness of the application of the coating material and to defects in the coating of the respective single core wires.
Moreover, in recent years, there have been demands for an even larger number of single core wires to be formed into a tape core wire, however, if there is a corresponding increase in the width of the tape core wire, then in the latter apparatus described above, there needs to be an increase in the size or the like of the nozzles. This makes it difficult for the coating material to be discharged uniformly from the nozzles and, in the same way as is described above, defects in the coating of the respective single core wires may occur.
Therefore, a first object of the present invention is to provide a tape core wire manufacturing apparatus that can be easily used to manufacture a large variety of tape core wires in small quantities, and can also easily provide a uniform coating over a broad width.
Furthermore, in the latter apparatus described above, how to position a wiring apparatus that arranges the respective single core wires in a row relative to a coating apparatus that applies the coating material onto each single core wire is an important problem for the efficient manufacturing of a large variety of tape core wires in small quantities.
Namely, if the wiring apparatus is simply positioned on the upstream side of the coating apparatus, the processing time is different in the coating step and the wiring step. In addition, preparation and adjustments become complex when products that have different specifications are being manufactured. Due to reasons such as these, there are times when it is difficult to efficiently manufacture a large variety of tape core wires in small quantities.
Therefore, a second object of the present invention is to provide a tape core wire wiring apparatus and wiring method that make it possible to efficiently manufacture a large variety of tape core wires in small quantities.